The Few and the Many
by Purple Astro
Summary: The title has nothing to do with the story. sort of a Mary-Sue, see what you think.
1. Introductions and Explanations

Hi.

Ages ago, for a friend's amusement, I wrote a long, rambling Gundam Wing story, where Heero's adopted sister fell in love with Quatre and…eventually…had three children. It was a terrible story, so it'll never see the light of day, but I was feeling nostalgic as I wrote this, so I resurrected one of the characters and wrote her in. Unfortunately, she then dragged most of the GW characters with her, so this story reads more like 'The Adventures of Clark and the Mysterious New Girl, with occasional guest stars the casts of Smallville and Gundam Wing', than a proper Smallville story. It's my first attempt at a Smallville story, though, so hopefully I'll get better in time. 

Right. That said, on with the story. Oh, and I don't own anything herein.

The Few and the Many

__

"Chloe! Pete! Wait up!" Clark blinked as his two friends swerved into another corridor, avoiding him totally. Striding after them, he turned the corner…

into the barn. Looking around, he slowly climbed the stairs to his 'Fortress of Solitude'. Lana wasn't there this time, but he didn't notice, his attention on his telescope. Reaching out, he slowly pressed his eye against it.

"Clark." Startled, he jerked upright, finding himself in Lex's mansion. "You didn't answer me."

"Lex." he blurted. "Uh, what's the question?" Lex smiled, amused for some reason.

"I said, have you found her yet?"

"Her who?"

"You haven't. Don't worry, you will." He turned and walked out of the room. 

"Lex, wait!" Chasing after him, Clark found himself…

"…late for school! Get up!"

"I'm up, Mom!" Clark sat up, raking a hand through his hair. "Man, what a dream."

"Bad one?" she asked, lingering in the doorway.

"No, just…weird. What time is it?"

"Twenty to nine. Hurry on." He nodded, getting up and pulling on his shirt.

"I'll be down in a minute, Mom."

"Ok."

Distracted, Clark barely noticed as somebody crashed into him, rebounding and falling to the floor. Books and loose papers fell around.

"Oh…sorry." He hunkered down and began gathering the books.

"Not your fault." The girl he'd crashed into sat up, pushing her hair back. "I should have been looking where I was going."

"Are you ok?" He rose to his feet and stuck out his hand. She accepted it, getting to her feet.

"I'll live. Oh, thanks…" She flicked through the pages he'd handed her, putting them back in order. "Oh, man…" Hurriedly she began looking around the floor.

"What's wrong?" Clark asked, looking around as well. Her urgency was infectious.

"I lost my schedule, the secretary just printed it off for me…oh, here it is!" She picked up a piece of paper that must have been walked on, because it was ripped down the middle and mucky. "Oh."

"Tell you what. My friend Chloe works on the Torch…that's our school paper. Maybe she can get you a new copy."

"Really? That'd be great! Which way is it?"

"I'll show you. I'm Clark, by the way. Clark Kent."

"Clark. I'm Kyrianna."

"Unusual name." 

"I have unusual parents." She rolled her eyes as though to say 'haven't we all'. 

"I know what you mean. Are you English?"

"English? Why'd you say that?"

"This way…your accent, I guess."

"Close, but no cigar. I'm Irish."

"Irish? Through here."

"I think we're going around in circles." she said suspiciously. "Didn't we pass that sign already?" Clark ripped the offending sign down from the notice board.

"They have those things up all over the school." She rescued the paper from his hand and smoothed it out.

"Yeah, 'cos the chess club is normally the high point of the school calendar. Actually, I might join that."

"You play chess?"

"Eh, a bit. My uncle loved it. Used to make me play all the time. And, to answer your earlier question, I'm half Irish, half Arabic. I normally tell people I'm Irish, but my house was so multi-cultural it doesn't really matter what I am. I could get by in most cultures, I just like Irish."

"Multicultural?"

"Um-hum. My mother's Irish, my dad's Arabic, and my uncles are American, Japanese, Chinese and European. How big is this school?"

"The catchment area's pretty big, so the school has to be big. We're just here now." He gestured to a door just down the hall.

"So you know all about me now, but I don't know anything about you."

"There isn't really all that much to know. I live on a farm just outside town, with my parents. That's pretty much it. Hey, Chloe!" The blonde typing on the computer looked up briefly.

"Hey, Clark. Who's this?"

"Kyrianna. She's new, and her schedule just got trashed. Care to help?"

"Sure. Sophomore or Freshman?"

"Junior. Kyrianna Winner."

"Spell Kyrianna."

"K-Y-R-I-A-N-N-A. W-I-N-N-E-R."

"Ok, got it…schedule for Winner, Kyrianna. Here you go!" The printer spat out a sheet of paper and Chloe handed it Kyrianna.

"Thank you very much. Now would you like to translate it for me?" The schedule had a tiny block of three lines for a class, each line holding three letters.

"Chloe, can you print a key as well? See, the first line is the teacher's name. The second line is the subject, and the last line tells you where the class is."

"It does? 'Cos it just looks like a bunch of letters to me." Chloe handed her another sheet. "Oh, ok. Now it kind of makes sense. Only not really." Clark grinned.

"You'll get used to it. Your first class is only up the corridor there."

"Thanks for your help." She lifted her bag over her shoulder. "I'll make sure to look for you if I get helplessly lost. Thank you, Chloe." She paused at the table next to the door. "Can I take one of these?" Fresh copies of The Torch covered the table.

"Sure. Enjoy."

"Thanks. See you around, Clark." With that she vanished out the door.

"I think someone has a crush, Clark." Chloe teased.

"Thanks, Chlo. Just what I needed to hear."

The bell rang just then, and he headed for his class.


	2. History

"Kyrianna! Not lost yet, then?"

Kyrianna turned with a smile.

"Not yet, Clark. Although I'm not really sure where I am right now."

"Smallville." Pete said promptly.

"Thank you, that's so much better." she said with a laugh.

"Pete Ross, this is Kyrianna Winner. She just started today. Kyrianna, Pete."

"Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. What do you think of Smallville?"

"It's nice. Where I lived before, there weren't so many people." Pete stopped walking, going on only when Clark bumped into him.

"Many people? _Smallville _is bigger than where you lived before?"

"Oh yes! Well, I suppose. I didn't go out very much, at home."

"Why not?"

"My father," she started slowly, "is quite an important person. And they used to worry a lot. So I wasn't let out very much."

"Sounds like a fairy tale." Chloe said, coming up on Clark's other side.

"Not when you're in it." Kyrianna said.

"So why are you here?"

"Oh, they thought I'd be safe here. Lionel Luthor is one of my father's business partners, and he suggested it. I'm staying at the Luthor home."

"You're staying with Lex?" Clark repeated. She nodded.

"Um-hum. I don't like Mr. Luthor much, but Lex seems nice."

"Well, you'll get to see plenty of Clark, then." Chloe said cheerfully, turning into the cafeteria doors. "He practically lives over there."

"I thought that was you. You saved Lex's life. Twice. At least." Clark blushed.

"What do you want for lunch?"

"Ah, lunch…mystery meat No. 1 and some kind of unidentifiable pudding thing, please."

"Are you sure you've never been here before?" Pete asked suspiciously. Kyrianna grinned.

"School meals are all the same. I didn't even go to school, and that's what I got."

"Home schooled?" Chloe asked.

"Um-hum. Did you write that editorial about the attack on the Luthor plant?"

"It wasn't an attack." Clark protested, sitting down with a heavy-laden tray. "Earl was sick and confused."

"He held a bunch of kids hostage with a gun, Clark." Kyrianna said.

"Earl's a friend of Clark's." Pete said quietly.

"He used to work on our farm." Clark filled in.

"Oh. Well…oh." She poked her plate. "What is this?"

"Mystery meat No. 1, just like you asked for."

"Thanks. I think. Did you write it, Chloe?"

"Yeah, I did."

"And is there a hidden Level 3?"

"You're staying with Lex. Ask him." To their surprise she flushed, shaking her head.

"He…doesn't like talking about that. Earl hit him in the head with the gun, you know, and he was…kind of unwell for a while."

"How so?" Clark asked, leaning forward.

"Headaches, dizziness. Nothing major or debilitating, and he says it's fine now. I just—don't think he wants to talk about it." Clark blinked as a wave of dizziness swept over him.

"Hey guys." Lana stopped by their table. "Are you going to introduce me?" Chloe nodded perkily.

"Lana Lang, meet Kyrianna Winner. She just started here. Kyrianna, Lana's the…whoops, _used _to be the head cheerleader. She helps out with the Torch."

"Kyrianna's staying with Lex." Pete added.

"No kidding. You're staying at the Luthor place? Nice house."

"Yeah." Kyrianna answered absently. "Clark, you ok?"

"Yeah…I think my mystery meat just tried to climb off my plate. Excuse me." He got up and nearly ran out of the room.

"Does he do that often?" Kyrianna asked.

"You have no idea." Lana said, rolling her eyes.

"Lana, you coming?" A tall, blond boy stopped next to Lana.

"Sure, Whitney. Kyrianna, this is my boyfriend Whitney. Whitney, Kyrianna, she's new."

"Hey." Whitney tossed off a casual wave, not really looking at her. Kyrianna grimaced, taking an instant dislike. Lana smiled at everyone and allowed him to tug her away and outside.

"That was…" Kyrianna searched for a way to say it.

"She's great, but he's a jerk." Pete said from the depths of his unidentifiable pudding thing.

"Pretty much." Kyrianna agreed.

"I wouldn't let her hear you say that." Chloe warned. "Lana's got a Whitney-shaped blind spot, sort of like Clark's Lana-shaped one."

"Whitney. That's right." Chloe stared at her. "Oh…Lex told me about some of the kids I might met, the ones he kind of knows. His opinion of Whitney more or less matches Pete's."

"Great minds." Pete said.

"Is Clark gonna come back, or should I get rid of his tray?" Kyrianna rose, taking her own tray with her.

"He won't be back." Chloe answered, watching. "Can you manage?"

"No problem." She balanced Clark's tray on top of her own and carried both to the stands at the side of the room.

"Jealous, Chlo?" Pete asked.

"Of what?"

"She's got a crush on Clark."

"So? Why should I care?" She elbowed Pete in the ribs. "Cut that out, Pete!"

"Clark!" 

Clark turned on hearing his name.

"Lex! What are you doing here?"

"Collecting my house guest. Have you met her?"

"Kyrianna? Yeah, I met her this morning."

"And this lunch time." Kyrianna put in, coming up beside them. "Although you did leave in rather a hurry, Clark." Clark's eyes flickered to Lex, who was standing, impassive.

"Yeah…sorry about that. I just…wasn't feeling well."

"You all right, Clark?" Lex asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It was just for a few minutes." Lex nodded and turned to Kyrianna. 

"You ready?"

"Um-hum. I'll see you tomorrow, Clark."

"Sure."

"Clark, you're gonna miss the bus!" He half-turned at Chloe's voice.

"Coming! See you, Lex."

"Bye, Clark." The two watched him leave, and then Lex opened Kyrianna's car door for her.

"Well?"

"Lex…"

"It's not spying." Lex said it with the air of someone who's repeated this over and over again. "It's just relaying news of your school to an interested friend."

"Oh, is that what it is. So it won't end up in the little mental dossier on Clark you're building." She made a face at her own grammar, or lack of.

"Well, yeah." She sighed and looked out the window. "Look, I'm not asking you to spy on him in the locker room. What happened at lunch?"

"He just left. Just after Lana arrived and before Whitney arrived."

"He left when Lana arrived?"

"Yeah. I thought you said he liked her."

"He does."

"Odd way of showing it."

"Clark has an odd way of doing most things."

"Kyrianna!" She turned, pausing just outside the class she'd been about to enter.

"I'm late, Clark. Is something wrong?"

"No…I haven't seen you around is all."

"I've been busy." Seeing the look on his face she relented. "I'll see you at lunch, right? Keep me a seat."

"Ok." She grinned quickly and slid into the room, closing the door firmly behind her. Clark started to turn away, then paused as he realised where he was. On the door in front of him hung a plaque reading 'Dr. Reding. Psychiatrist.'

"Urgh." Kyrianna slid into the seat beside Chloe, directly across from Clark, and made a face at Chloe's tray. "I gave up on the lunches here."

"They probably can't stand up to Lex's larder." Chloe agreed.

"I wouldn't know. I haven't been in the kitchen." Catching their looks, she added, "Not from lack of trying. Every time I go anywhere in that part of the house, some one of the servants oh-so-politely sends me back to my own room."

"I've never tried." Clark said.

"Nell was in and out during the party, but she's the only non-staff I've seen in there…why are we talking about the Luthor Manor, anyway?"

"You started it." Chloe pointed out.

"True. How's the Torch? I missed the latest issue."

"How'd you manage that?" Clark asked.

"I was busy elsewhere. Anything interesting?"

"The game, the game, the game, and the aftermath of the game." Pete said.

"So nothing about the game then?" The group laughed, trailing off as Lana came over.

"Kyrianna, have you heard about the blood drive?"

"I heard about it, yes."

"Can I put you down?"

"I'm not allowed donate."

"How come?" Chloe asked.

"Um, I have this disease…it's got about seventeen syllables in the name, but the upshot of it is that my blood clots too easily. I have to take stuff to thin it, or I'd die of clotting."

"Ouch. Well, consider yourself excused." Lana said.

"I'll help out, if you need me."

"Clark's already helping, but we'll keep you in mind." Lana said. "See you later." She left, leaving Kyrianna under the stares of the other three.

"What?"

"Nothing." Clark said quickly. "Just…"

"I know. It's really not so bad, unless I forget to take my medicine. Which stinks, by the way, it tastes horrible."

"Don't all medicines?" Pete asked.

"Most of them. My cousin, one time…" Chloe went off on a long, rambling story that had very little to do with anything. Kyrianna pretended to be listening, but she really wasn't paying much attention to anything.

"Hey, the bell's gone. Are you coming?"

"Hummm? Oh, crap! Chloe, can you tell Professor Smith I'll be a little late? Please? Thanks!" Slamming her books together she took off for the lockers. Clark glanced at his friends once, then followed her.


	3. Problems and Meetings

She was pacing back and forth, muttering angrily, when he caught up to her in the infirmary.

"What's wrong?" He shifted his backpack higher on his shoulder.

"There's no one here." She gestured around the infirmary.

"No, I think the nurse is on an in-service day, or something. What's wrong?"

"I need…" she trailed off, frowned, and started again. "Part of my medication is injections. I have to take them every couple days. The nurse here's been doing them for me, and now I'm due another and she's not here." She paced the length of the room and back again.

"Is it serious?" She nodded without looking up.

"I _need _those injections. If I throw off my schedule this way, it can be very bad."

"Can you do it?" Kyrianna looked up now, eyes searching Clark's face, and he went on, "You've been getting them for years, right? Can you do it?"

"I…yes, I can. I have a syringe, but…" she trailed off again. Clark nodded.

"Take your time." He pushed the door closed and pulled out a chair. Kyrianna swung her bag off her back and opened a small pocket at the very front, pulling out an overnight bag.

"You don't have to stay."

"Yes I do." Nodding, she pulled out a strap and wrapped it around her arm, pulling it tight. Clark touched it lightly and looked at her questioningly. 

"Makes it easier to see the veins." she said briefly. 

"I thought you took this medicine…you know, like a pill or something."

"There's a pill, twice a day, and this." She winced as the needle slid into her arm. "Damm, you'd think I'd be used to that."

"And you'll have to do this…" Clark trailed off, and Kyrianna looked up briefly before gently pulling the needle out.

"Forever. Every two days, forever. On the other hand, if I ever want to commit suicide, all I have to do is skip a day." She rose and slowly made her way to the sink to wash off the bits and pieces.

"Are you ok?" Clark asked, watching her steady herself.

"Yeah. It just makes me a bit dizzy is all. I'll be fine."

"You've managed to miss nearly a whole class."

"So have you."

"I had study hall this period."

"I can borrow Chloe's notes."

"I don't have to have notes."

"You won't have your assignments done."

"Oh yes I will."

"Really? I always need study hall to get them done." She hesitated, closing up her bag and then just standing, staring at her hands.

"What? What's wrong?" Clark asked, standing.

"Nothing wrong. Clark…" she turned to look at him. "Thank you."

"No big."

"No, really. Thank you. No one…" she trailed off yet again, sighing. "People don't like to be here when I do that. And alone, it…thank you."

"I told you, it's not a big deal. The bell's gonna ring in a minute, are you ok?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine." They headed into the corridor; Clark pulled the infirmary door closed behind them and turned to head for his next class.

"See you later, Clark."

"See you, Kyrianna."

"What happened?"

Trust Lex to notice straight off, Kyrianna thought tiredly.

"Nothing happened. I nearly missed my schedule, that's all." Lex stared at her.

"That's all?"

"The nurse wasn't there, but Clark was, and he helped me."

"Clark helped you." Lex's voice was flat. Kyrianna studied his profile. 

"Of course he helped me. What else would you expect from Clark Kent? The guy helps everyone."

"Are you ok?" She nodded, looking out the window now. "Your dad called."

"Might have known. Was he upset?"

"No…he wanted to know if you were ok. He was worried."

"I'm fine. I'll call him when I get in."

"Kiri…"

"I'm _fine, _Lex. Really and truly, I'm fine. I wasn't that late."

"But what if you were?" He paused, expecting her to answer, but she sat silent. "What if this happens again?"

"It won't."

"How can you tell?" Her answer was simple, and, in hindsight, obvious.

"Because now I have Clark."

Clark was sitting on the couch in his 'Fortress' when Lex arrived.

"Lex." He jumped up.

"Relax, Clark. I came to say thanks for helping Kiri out today."

"No big." He flushed slightly.

"It was. Very few people are willing to help her like that. For all you knew, she could have been taking heroin."

"But…she wasn't. It was just medicine." He looked out the window. "Is she all right?"

"A little shaken up. When I left, she was trying to persuade her father not to come out here."

"Her father?"

"Mr Winner takes care of his own. He called while she was in school today."

"While she was in school?"

"Time difference." Both men turned to see Kyrianna leaning against the rail behind them. She looked pale and Clark rose to his feet, offering her his place on the couch. She sat down, smiling a thank you. "I borrowed a car and driver, Lex, I hope you don't mind." Lex shook his head.

"Don't worry about that. Are you all right?"

"What? Yes…my uncle yelled at me for twenty minutes in Japanese." She smiled faintly. "I didn't even know he knew that much Japanese."

"What was he yelling about?" Clark asked.

"The nurse not being there. He wants to come out here so he can yell at her in person."

"In Japanese?" Lex asked.

"No, in English. Actually, it'd be kind of cool if he did yell at her in Japanese…" she trailed off for a moment, before shaking her head and turning back to them. "My Dad's coming out week after next. He thinks Bri might be free."

"Who's Bri?" Clark asked.

"My middle sister, Brianna. The only healthy one of the lot of us." Lex rolled his eyes.

"You know, your father's a very nice man, even if your uncle is scary. But his kids are so damm fragile!"

"All my uncles are scary."

"How many kids in your family?" Clark asked, interested.

"Three of us. Myra, my eldest sister, has a fluidic imbalance in her inner ear." Kyrianna said this in the manner of someone who's said this over and over. "It's not dangerous as long as she watches where she's walking, Brianna's perfectly normal except when she hit her growth spurt she _hit_ her growth spurt, and you know about me."

"Yeah." Kyrianna blinked.

"Sorry. I get asked about my family so often. Dr. Reding makes me talk about them all the time."

"I didn't know you were seeing him." Clark said carefully.

"Oh. Yeah. Lionel Luthor thinks I'm mad. It's a condition of my staying here."

"He thinks you're mad? Why?" Lex broke into the conversation.

"She doesn't care much for my father."

"Not many people do." Kyrianna added.

"Why would that…" Clark asked.

"Because every time I see him I tell him things I shouldn't know."

"Things she couldn't know." Lex added. "It's fun watching to see how he reacts, though. My father doesn't care for surprises."

"What kind of things you shouldn't know?" Clark was fascinated.

"Things like…how many employees have died in his factories. Conversations he's had in private. Incidentally, did you know your castle's haunted, Lex?"

"What?" Lex looked surprised. Clark leaned back, losing track of the conversation completely.

"There's at least one ghost. There might be more."

"Ghosts." Clark muttered. "We get all sorts in Smallville."

"No, I didn't know that. How do you know?" Lex looked…mad, Clark decided. Kyrianna shrugged.

"We had a ghost at home. You get to know when they're around."

"Have you seen…" Lex trailed off.

"Her. No, I haven't. She's definitely around, though."

"Well, if you see her, let me know. Come on, I'll drive you back. Clark, I'll see you."

"See you, Clark."

"Bye."

"Did you have to say all that in front of him?"

"Clark's wrapped up in all this just as much as you are, Lex. I'm not sure why yet, but he is."

"Yes, but ghosts?" Kyrianna turned from the window to look at Lex.

"That bothers you."

"Yes." 

"Why?" He didn't answer; Kyrianna stared at him for a long minute before nodding. "That's right, I forgot about Jeff."

"You know, that's truly unnerving."

"Sorry. I can't pretend I don't know what I know, though."

"Try." She made a face at him and looked out in surprise as they reached the Luthor mansion.

"That's one of Dad's cars. Who's here?"

"Your scary uncle."

"I told you, all my uncles are scary. Which one is it?"

"Mr Yui."

"Uncle Heero? Kakkoii! Thanks, Lex!" Grinning, she leapt out of the car and flew into the house.

"Have you guys seen Kyrianna?" Clark asked at lunchtime. Pete shook his head.

"She picked a good day to be out." Pete muttered.

"Why?" 

"You didn't know?" Chloe asked. "Weird things have been happening all day. One of the classrooms was locked, from the inside. A computer in the la blew up."

"Was anyone hurt?"

"No. One of the jocks swears he was tripped in the lunch room, even though no one was anywhere near him. A fountain started running in the corridor, but it shuts off when anyone goes near it."

"Jeff?"

"We checked." Pete said. "Jeff's still in custody."

"So what's the theory?"

"No theory yet." Chloe admitted. "Not enough evidence. No one's been hurt, so if it is on purpose, someone's being very careful…and if it's not, it's a whole lot of coincidences."

"I'll keep my eyes open." Clark promised.

"Kay. See you later."

"Lex?" Clark stuck his head around the corner of the door.

"Come on in, Clark."

"I was just dropping off your produce."

"And looking for Kiri."

"No, I…is she all right?"

"She's fine. He uncle came for a visit so she took the day off."

"Her uncle?"

"Yeah. She told her dad he wasn't to come out. So he sent his brother-in-law instead."

"His brother…" Clark trailed off as voices were heard down the hall.

"Oh, here they are now." Lex said, pretending to be surprised. A man came into the room and checked slightly on seeing Clark.

"Nani, uncle?" Kyrianna said from behind him. He said something in Japanese, moving further into the room. Kyrianna's uncle was perhaps a little younger than Clark's parents, and his Japanese heritage was strong.

"Clark. Uncle Heero, this is Clark Kent. Clark, my Uncle Heero Yui. Clark helped me in school yesterday, uncle."

"Yes?" Heero shook Clark's hand; Clark got the feeling he was being evaluated.

"Uncle…" Kyrianna's voice carried faintly warning overtones.

"Nani? I'm not doing anything."

"Yokatta. Don't." Smiling faintly, she turned back to Clark.

"I didn't know you spoke Japanese."

"Oh yeah. Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, bit of French and Spanish…" She grinned at the look on his face. "Multicultural household, remember?"

"Kiri." Heero said, adding something else in Japanese.

"Wakatta, uncle. Chigau, I wasn't. Why did you think that?" 

"Experience."

"My ane and I are two very different people, Uncle, just like your ane and you. Now, English, if you please. Let's remember our manners."

"Ryoukai." he said with a faint smile. Kyrianna grinned and murmured "Gomen nasai," before leading Clark to one side of the room.

"What was that?" Clark asked quietly, glancing back at where Heero was now talking to Lex.

"Uncle's…old-fashioned. He likes family knowledge to stay within the family."

"Family knowledge?" She gestured.

"Things about family members. My illness, and especially Myra's. Our heritage."

"Oh." Clark thought about that. "You're not in trouble, are you?"

"No, Don't worry." She glanced back at Heero. "Let's go outside. Did I miss anything in school?"

"It's too cold to go outside." Heero told her firmly.

"Oh, Uncle…"

"Iya. Stay inside, Kiri."

"Hai, uncle." She sighed.

"You actually missed a lot. The school's gone crazy today."

"How?" Kyrianna asked. Clark listed some of the odd things that had happened that day.

"Was anyone hurt?" she asked.

"No, no one. We were all kind of thirsty, but that's about it."

"Thirs…oh, right, the fountain."

"Kiri?" Heero said from behind her.

"Nani?"

"What's going on?"

"Mitte, uncle, I don't know. I didn't go today." He nodded and she went on, "_Aisuru. _I'll take care of it."

"When?" She thought for a moment.

"Clark, do you trust me?"

"What? Yes."

"Good. I have to go to the school. Come with me?"

"Now? Why?" Heero growled slightly, and Clark threw him a startled look. Lex didn't seem fazed at all.

"It's…complicated. Please, Clark?"

"Sure." He gave up on understanding.

"Be careful, Kiri." Heero said quietly.

"Itsumademo, Uncle. Don't worry."


	4. Conversations

"Can you tell me?" Clark asked. They were now sitting in one of Lex's cars, his contribution to the effort. 

"Tell you what?"

"What we're doing here."

"You're not doing anything except driving."

"What are you doing here?"

"Taking care of something. Stop here."

"We're still a block from the school." he protested.

"I know. You can wait here, Clark." Clark jumped out of the car and gripped her arm.

"You're not going alone."

"I have to. You can't help."

"I bet I can." She shook her head and spoke quietly.

"You're fast, Clark, and strong, but this isn't a fight. I'm the only one who can do this." Clark blinked.

"You are not going in there without me."

"You're not going to give way on this."

"No, I'm not."

"You're very stubborn."

"Yes, I am." Kyrianna sighed.

"All right. But listen, Clark. This isn't the kind of fight you're used to. You must listen to me."

"I will."

"Shyeah, right. I'm serious. This is difficult and dangerous and…"

"Dangerous?" She rolled her eyes.

"Not for me, _I _know what I'm doing. Just…if you're gonna come, pay attention to what I'm saying and doing."

"Ok."

"I'm so dead when Uncle Heero hears about this." She turned, heading for the school.

"Tell me what you and your uncle said." 

Clark was fidgety; he and Kyrianna had been sitting in the corridor for almost twenty minutes.

"When?"

"All of it."

"All right. He stopped in the door and I said, _what_? He said, _someone's here_." She was frowning in concentration. "I introduced you and then I said, _uncle… _he said _what? I'm not doing anything. _I said _I'm glad. Don't. _I told you I was multi cultural. Uncle Heero said, _Kiri, don't spread secrets. _I said. _I understand, uncle. You're wrong, I wasn't. Why did you think that?"_

"You remember this verbatim?"

"Good memory. He said, _experience…_I said _my older sister and I…"_

"You only said one word."

"_Ane_, it means older sister."

"What's younger sister?"

"_Imooto. _Not a word I use very often. Um, _my older sister and I are two very different people, Uncle, just like your older sister and you. Now, English." _She sighed and rubbed her face. "He said _acknowledged._ I talked to you for a bit and asked to go outside. He said _No. Stay inside, Kiri. _I said _yes, uncle. _You told me what happened, and uncle said _Kiri. _I said _what? _He asked what was going on and I said _look, uncle, I don't know. I didn't go today. Don't worry. I'll take care of it. _He said _careful_ and I said _always." _She shrugged. That's it."

"No, it's no. Just before you talked to me about school you said something else. _Groaning nosy." _She laughed at his pronunciation.

"It's _gomen nasai. _If you're learning Japanese, learn that one."

"Why? What does it mean?"

"It means _I'm sorry. _It's used a lot."

"Why were you sorry?" She looked down. "I'm sorry, I'm prying."

"No, it's all right. My mother and uncle had a brother, a younger brother. He died a long time ago. My mother's the oldest but she's never called Heero younger since then…he hates to hear it. Everyone thinks he's the eldest because that's what she calls him. She never calls him _Otooto."_

"I don't…"

"I said _your older sister. _Not _your younger sister _or _your sister. _Although you can't say that in Japanese, you have to say older or younger…" Rising abruptly to her feet she crossed to the fountain.

"But why would that upset him?" She slammed her hand against the sink and whirled to face him.

"I'm not supposed to know, Clark! No one knows that, not my father who knows everything around him, not Heero's best friend, no one! They never talk about him!" Clark stood slowly.

"How did you know?" Kyrianna smiled sadly.

"I know your secret, Clark…"

"They've been gone a while." Lex said after twenty minutes of silence. Heero was non-communicative in the extreme when he wanted.

"Yes."

"Do you think they're all right?"

"Don't know."

"You're not much of a body guard, are you." Heero's gaze flicked up to meet Lex's.

"I'm not her body guard. She doesn't need one, come to that. Ojousan's more than capable of looking after herself." Lex sat for a moment.

"A friend's daughter? That's what you call your niece?" Heero just stared out the window. "Should we go after them?"

"No. They're fine."

"How can you tell?" 

"Quatre hasn't called after them."

"Ah, of course. And Mr Winner always knows."

"He knew yesterday." Heero's face was unreadable, even to Lex.

"Yes, he did." Heero smiled faintly.

"They'll be ok."

"You're bleeding." Clark ignored what she'd just said, hoping he'd misheard.

"Yeah, I know." She rubbed gently at the mark on her hand where she'd hit the sink.

"I thought that wasn't supposed to happen."

"I bleed, Clark, I just clot fast. See?" She lifted her hand, revealing a scar. Running some water in the fountain, she wet a tissue and wiped her hand. "Did you hear me?"

"When?" Sighing, she sat down beside him.

"I know your secret, Clark. I know about you."

"What about me?" She hit him. "Ow!"

"That didn't hurt you. Not much will, unless you're around meteor rocks. You're very fast and strong, and sometimes you can see through things. Right?"

"How do you…"

"I always know, Clark. You see why Mr. Luthor doesn't like me? I always know everything."

"_How _do you always know?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me." Kyrianna shook her head.

"No. Come on, we can go now."

"Go? You didn't do anything!"

"We're done here, Clark. Let's go back to Lex's." He stepped into her path.

"Will you tell me what's going on?"

"Yes. Let's go, come on."

"You promise."

"Clark…shit! Duck!" She yanked him out of the way as the fountain ripped from the wall and flew towards them. It passed over their heads and shattered against the wall, showering them with plaster.

"What happened?" Clark asked, sitting up. Kyrianna's eyes were tracking something he couldn't see.

"It's ok, Clark. It won't happen again."

"It's _not _ok. What's going on?" She shrugged a little.

"Ghosts?"

"Ghosts." Clark said flatly.

"Uh-huh."

"Ghosts."

"Yes. Come on." Clark got to his feet.

"Ghosts?"

"Clark! Come on, Lex'll be worried. I'll explain when we get back, all right?" She stopped suddenly, looking away.

"What?" Clark asked.

"Nothing. Come on, we have to go now."

"Why?"

"Because. We have to. Come on, Clark!" She was getting worried now.

In Lex's mansion Heero sat up straight and looked out the window, at the same time as the phone rang. Neither man moved until a servant came to the door.

"Pardon me, sir, it's for Mr Yui."

"Thank you." Lex said, tossing the phone to Heero, who caught it easily and switched it on.

"Hai? Quatre…Iya…With the Kent boy, a while ago…Iya, Quatre, she didn't want…Hai. Don't worry. Aisuru." Lex's grasp of Japanese was basic but he could follow that. He looked up in time to catch the phone as Heero tossed it back to him.

"Where do the kids go here?" the Japanese man demanded.

"The Beanery, usually. Why?"

"Quatre wants to talk to Kryianna. So I'm going to find her. Where is this Beanery?"

"I'll show you. Is something wrong?" Lex got to his feet, pulling on his coat.

"Iya. I don't think so."

"Well, good." It was a fairly idiotic thing to say, but Heero had a habit of making people forget any sarcasm they normally would have used.

"Chloe." Chloe and Pete glanced up to find Lex and another man standing by their table. "Have you seen Clark or Kyrianna?"

"I haven't seen Kiri since yesterday," Chloe said, "and Clark since school. Is something wrong?"

"No, no. Kyrianna's father rang looking for her, and she hasn't got her cell."

"Oh. We haven't seen 'em." Pete said. "Sorry. Maybe Lana has."

"Maybe Lana has what?" Lana asked, stopping by the table. Whitney rolled his eyes impatiently.

"Seen Clark or Kyrianna." Heero said. Lana shook her head.

"Not since school today. Is something wrong?"

"School! Baka Yui! Come on, Lex." Heero said. Lex nodded, turned to go, and paused, looking at the teens. "Don't worry about it."

"We won't." Chloe said brightly.

"We won't?" Pete repeated as Lex left.

"Of course we will. What did he say? The school? Let's go."

"Lana…" Whitney protested.

"Come on, Whitney. You owe Clark. We all do." Pete said quietly. Whitney looked at Lana again before nodding reluctantly.

"My truck's outside."


End file.
